Mechanisms for ensuring network cooperation need improvement

24 june 2016

The Analytical Center has discussed optimization of the organizational and management mechanisms in education that are used when implementing network cooperation models. The experts analyzed some Russian and foreign cases, identified problems and risks and suggested options for improving existing regulations.

The Analytical Center expert Inna Karakchieva called the
participants’ attention to the fact that network cooperation can happen both in
education as well as across different areas of activity. “The Federal Law on
Education focuses specifically on the implementation of educational programs
but that is just one form of network cooperation. Having analyzed the current
types of organizational and management models of network cooperation in
education we have identified three basic types of such cooperation: pooling the
owners of various types of resources, integrative cooperation and a resources
platform,” the expert said.

Lead researcher with the Russian Presidential Academy of
National Economy and Public Administration Gulnara Krasnova talked in detail
about joint educational projects abroad. “Network universities are taking the
world by storm. Countries that export education services are especially active
in networked cooperation and the most successful are universities set up at the
level of heads of government, for example the Science and Technology University
in Hanoi and the Nottingham University in China,” she believes. At the same
time, the expert noted that all joint universities in China have alliances with
western universities, having created a venue for discussing existing problems
with representatives of government organizations. “In Russia, all universities
to this day remain isolated from each other, no experience is being shared and
the same problems are being tackled time and time again - we definitely need an
association like that so common problems can be discussed,” Ms. Krasnova is
sure.

Deputy Dean of the Economics Department of Moscow Lomonosov
State University Irina Teleshova suggested restructuring the Russian education
system to align it with international classifiers. In her opinion, the notion
of network cooperation is very loosely defined and at the moment it does not
cover or include everything that could be classed as network cooperation. The
expert suggested systematizing the definitions included in the term and then
working out the regulatory and financial issues.

Participants in the discussion concurred that before further
work can be carried out a work group needs to be set up to include
representatives of professional unions and public organizations. It is also
important to revise the prevailing view on financing, HR potential and
organizational and legal mechanisms, the experts believe.